Volatile world of Championship management with 11 changes already

Of those 13, only five have been in charge for over 12 months, with five others appointed in the summer. 

Jon Dahl Tomasson was unveiled as Rovers' new head coach on June 14, and is already the division’s 10th longest-serving.

All three teams promoted from League One have changed managers, though two of those weren’t through choice.

Two managers are already onto their second Championship club of the season, while Wigan Athletic remain on the hunt for a new boss.

Mark Robins (Coventry City) and Gary Rowett (Millwall) are the only two bosses with over 100 games at their respective clubs.

Robins’ 286 and Rowett’s 158 games combined total 444, just 17 fewer than the rest of the 11 managers put together.

Of the 11 clubs that have changed manager, eight have been sacked, while three others have left for other jobs.

Watford, in fourth, are the only team in the top half to sack their manager, with 10th-placed Luton Town having been forced into a change.

From 14th downwards, Blackpool are the only side to have the same manager in charge as the start of the season, although the decisions of Sunderland and Rotherham United were not of their own making.

So how has the season played out so far with the managers?

The first managerial move came on August 25 when Stoke City sacked Michael O’Neill, sitting 21st in the table. Their search for a new boss took them to Alex Neil at Sunderland, who left the Black Cats for the bet365 Stadium three days later.

That brought about the second managerial change of the season as Tony Mowbray, only three months on from his departure from Ewood Park, was handed the reins at the Stadium of Light on August 30.

Next to go was Huddersfield Town's Danny Schofield, losing his job on September 14, with the Terriers second bottom of the table. Schofield had only landed the role in the summer after the shock departure of Carlos Corberan in July.

Schofield is now in charge of Doncaster Rovers, while there will be more on Corberan to come.

Mark Fotheringham was appointed as Schofield’s replacement at the John Smith's Stadium on September 28.

However, two weeks is a long time in Championship management, and in that period, three more managers went.

Cardiff City sacked Steve Morison on September 18, Rob Edwards (more on him later) was sacked by Watford on September 26, while Paul Warne walked out on Rotherham United for League One side Derby County on September 22.

Cardiff this week appointed Mark Hudson on a deal until the end of the season, Slaven Bilic was brought in by Watford only a matter of hours after Edwards was sacked, while Rotherham’s search for a boss ended on October 4 with the appointment of Matt Taylor, who left Exeter City for the New York Stadium.

There was time for another September sacking as Shota Arveladze was ditched only hours before a game by Hull City. Liam Rosenior, who was replaced by Warne at Derby, was named Tigers boss last week.

October started with the departure of Middlesbrough’s Chris Wilder, who went from being tipped for the Bournemouth job to being without employment, as pre-season promotion candidates Boro languished in the relegation zone when he was sacked.

Boro spent three weeks without a permanent manager before Michael Carrick’s appointment on October 24.

In similar circumstances to Wilder, Steve Bruce was axed by West Bromwich Albion on October 10.

He was replaced by Corberan, who as mentioned previously, resigned as Huddersfield boss in July and was then sacked by Olympiakos in September.

On November 10 came two Championship departures, but in very different circumstances.

Nathan Jones was head-hunted by Southampton after they sacked Ralph Hasenhuttl, while Wigan sacked Leam Richardson, who only months earlier had secured Latics promotion from League One. 

While the Latics remain on the hunt for a new manager, Luton ended their search on November 17 by appointing Edwards.

It has been quite the few months for Edwards who walked out on Forest Green Rovers after their promotion from League Two to take over at Watford, only to last 11 games before losing his job.

Favourite for the Wigan job is Neil Critchley who left Blackpool in the summer to take on the assistant manager’s role at Aston Villa. That had become vacant after Beale left as Gerrard’s No.2 to take over at QPR.

You can see why it’s called the managerial merry-go-round.

Due to the Championship breaking for the World Cup, they have played three, in some cases four, more games than sides in League One.

But the difference between managerial sackings is stark.

In League One, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink resigned as Burton Albion boss, Derby County brought to an end the interim spell of Liam Rosenior, while Exeter City loss Matt Taylor to Rotherham United.

There has been a bit more change in League Two, with six sackings, while at Crewe Alexandra, Alex Morris stood down to take on the assistant manager role.

The eight Championship managers to be sacked:

17. Stoke City – Michael O’Neill sacked August 25

24. Huddersfield Town – Danny Schofield sacked September 14

19. Cardiff City – Steve Morison sacked September 18

4. Watford – Rob Edwards sacked September 26

20. Hull City – Shota Arveladze sacked September 30

14. Middlesbrough – Chris Wilder sacked October 3

21. West Bromwich Albion – Steve Bruce sacked October 10

22. Wigan Athletic – Leam Richardson sacked November 10

The three managers to have left their roles:

15. Sunderland – Alex Neil leaves for Stoke City (August 28)

16. Rotherham United – Paul Warne leaves for Derby County (September 22)

10. Luton Town – Nathan Jones leaves for Southampton (November 10)

The managers in post from the start of the season:

1 - Burnley – Vincent Kompany – Appointed June 2022 – 23 games

2 - Sheffield United – Paul Heckingbottom – Appointed November 2021 – 52 games

3 - Blackburn Rovers – Jon Dahl Tomasson – Appointed June 22 – 24 games

5 – Norwich City – Dean Smith – Appointed November 21 – 53 games

6 – Millwall – Gary Rowett – Appointed October 2019 – 158 games

7 – QPR – Michael Beale – Appointed June 2022 – 22 games

8 – Swansea City – Russell Martin – Appointed August 2021 – 72 games

9 – Preston North End – Ryan Lowe – Appointed December 2021 – 49 games

11 – Coventry City – Mark Robins – Appointed March 2017 – 286 games

12 – Reading – Paul Ince – Appointed February 2022 – 36 games

13 – Birmingham City – John Eustace – Appointed July 2022 – 22 games

18 – Bristol City – Nigel Pearson – Appointed February 2021 – 86 games

23 – Blackpool – Michael Appleton – Appointed June 2022 – 22 games

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